Circular-knitting machine



May s, 1928.

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A. F. HARRIS CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 1:5, 1921 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 May s, 1928.

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- ATTORNEYS n 31 1 5 I I I w Ti WfiI MWU 4 7 4 v l Patented May 8, 1928.

UNITED" STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTUS F. HARRIS OF CLINTON, ONTABIO,.CANADA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF '10 SAMUEL OWEN, 0F ROSEVILLE, NEW JERSEY.

GIRGULARKNITT IN G MACHINE.

" Application filed September 13, 1921. Serial No. 500,335.

'I ho object of the invention is to provide a new and improved circular knitting machine provided with an improved construction of cylinder transfer needle and means for operating the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a. circular knitting machine, means for automatically repeating the doubling of the stitches in courses spaced predetermined distances apart in the length of the knit tubular fabric according to v the length of the stocking to be ultimately produced.

A still further object, more specifically, is to provide a new and improved circular knitting machine, comprising a cylinder having cylinder and dial needles movinglongitudinally and radially thereon and wherein sundry of the cylinder needles are provided v laterally with transfer hooks or projections and are from time to time given by cam means a supplementary mot-ion whereby the v stitch looped thereon is opened by the transfer hook or projection and the stitch transferred to the adjacent dial needle. This arrangement enables tubular fabric to be provided at predetermined spaced courses with alternate stitches, doubled up on the adjacent stitches to permitof subsequently transferring the fabric to the quills of atransferring cylinder having a less number of quills than the stitches in a regular course of the fabric. \Vith these and other objects in View, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claims.

' A practical embodiment ofthc invention .is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

I Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved circular knitting macliine;

I Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of the same; I Figure 3 is a side elevation of the same; Figure 4 is an enlarged plan view of part of the improved circular knitting machine with the parts in position "for moving theauxiliary cam for actuating the cylinder transfer needles into active position; igure 5 is a front elevation of the mechanism for actuating the auxiliary cam;

the tubularv fabric to be transferred. Thus Figure 6 is a sectional side elevation of It! the same;

Figure 7 is a sectional plan View of the improved circular knitting machine on the line 77 of Figure 8 and showing more particularly the regular cam and the auxil- 00 iary cam for actuating the cylinder needles and the cylindertransfer needles;

Figure, 8 is a sectional side elevation of the same on the line 8-8 of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is an inner face View of the auxiliary cam;

Figure 10 is a sectional side elevation of the same on the line-10-10 of Figure 7;

Figure 11- is a plan view of the dial cam for actuating thedial needles, parts being shown in section; I

Figure 12 is a front elevation of the cylin-. der and its regular and transfer needles with the latter' shown in raised position by the auxiliary cam and coacting with the dial needles on the dial, part of the bedplate being shown in section;

Figure. 13 is an inner face view of the usual cam for actuating the cylinder needles and the cylinder transfer needles while knitting'the usual courses of stitches;

Figure 14 is a transverse section of the same on the line 1414 ofFigure 13;.

Figure 15 is a similar view of the same on the line 15-15 of Figure 13; I

Figure 16 is an enlarged side elevation of one of the cylinder transfer needles;

Figure 17 is a front view of the same;

Figure 18 is an enlarged side elevation of the knitted fabric and showing a portion of the double stitch course; and

Figures 19, 20, 21 and 22 are enlarged front elevations of a cylinder transfer needle and its coacting dial needle inithe several positions during the formation of the double sti tches. i

In knitting stockings and similar articles on circular knitting machines as now generally practiced, "it is customary to knit a continuous tubular fabric forthe legs and this fabric is cut to proper leg length and is then transferred onto the quills of a transfer-ring cylinder having a less number of quills than there are stitches'in a course of in transferring the tubular fabriconto the quills it is necessary to double sundry of the loops on corresponding quills- Thls trans" ferring operation is done by hand but is very tedious and it frequently happens that the. loops are wrongly placed on the quills especially at the doubleloops. In order to eliminate this doubling-of the loops on the quills I automatically "knit sundry of the cylinder loops of a course onto the adjacent dial loops of the same course during the knitting of the tubular fabric on the circular knitting machine presently to be described in detail. It is understood that this course with the double loops is repeated for each leg length and the fabric is cut at this course and then transferred to the quills of the transferring cylinder without requiring doubling on the quills.

The improvements for accomplishing the above result are shown applied to a circular knitting machine such as shown and described in the Letters Patent of the United States, No. 368,429, granted to R. W. Scott on August 16, 1887 The circular knitting machine is mounted on a suitable constructed frame 30 having a bedplate 31 on which is held a fixed needle cylinder 32 on which reciprocate intermittently the usual vertical cylinder needles '33 and a number of cylinder transfer needles 34. On the dial 35 reciprocate the horizontal dial needles 36. On the bed-plate 31 is mounted to rotate the cam ring 40 for operating the regular cylinder needles 33 and the cylinder transfer. needles 34, and on the said cam ring 40 is mounted the cam plate 41 for operating the dial needles 36. The cam ring 40 is driven by suitable gearing 42 from the main driving shaft 43, and the cam plate 41 is suspended from and rotates with the arch 44-forming part of the cam ring 40. The

yarn is fed to the needles in the usual manner by a yarn carrier 45 rotating with the cam plate 41 ofthe dial needles 36. The cylinder needles 33 and'thecylinder transfer needles 34 are actuated during the knitting of the regular courses of the stitches by a cam (see Figures 7 and 13) held on the inner face of the cam ring 40 and rotating with the course of the same, and a supplementary movement is given to the cylinder transfer needles 34 by an a uxiliary cam 51 (see Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10) held normally inactive until stitchesto be subsequently transferred onto the quills of a transfer cylinder is reached. When this course of stitches is reached the cylinder transfer needles 34 are raised an additional distance, as .hereinafter more fully explained (see Figure 12)". The dial needles 36 are actuated in the usual manner by a cam mechanism having two'cams 55'and 56 (see Figure 11), of which the cam 55 is fixed on the under cams 55 and 56 rotate with the cam plate 41.

' other As this mechanism for actuating the dial needles 36 forms no part of my invention further description of the same is not deemed necessary.

w The cylinder needles 33 and the dial needles 36 are of usual construction and hence it is not deemed necessary to describe the same in detail. The cylinder transfer needles 34 (see Figures 16 and 17) are of special construction and each is arranged as follows: The stem 60 of each cylinder transfer needle 34 is provided at its upper end with a hook 61 operating in conjunction with a latch 62 pivoted at 63 at the cheek 64 leading to the throat 65. The lower portion of the throat 65 is provided at the righthand side of the front face with a recess 66 into which projects the upper free end 67 of a transfer hook 68 of approximately V-shape projecting sidewise to the right to extend into the path of the adjacent dial needle 36 (see Figures 19, 20, 21 and 22). The lower endof the transfer hook 68' is provided with a transversely extendin heel 69 attached to the stem 60 of the cylinder transfer needle by rivets 70 or other fastening devices. The transfer hook 68 is provided at its bend with a shoulder or stop 71 for arresting the corresponding needle loop, as hereinafter more fully explained. The transfer hook is preferably made of steel or spring metal.

The 'ower end of the stem 60 of the cylinder transfer needle 34 is provided with a butt 72 of a length exceeding that of the butts of the regular cylinder needles 33 to permit the cam 50 to engage the butt 72 to the path of the cam 51 whenever the 'latter is moved into active position to impart a supplementary upward movement to the cylinder transfer needles 34 (see Figure 12) with a View of movingthe transfer hooks 68'into register with the corresponding dial needles 36 to permit the latter to pass 1nto the space between the right-hand side of the throat 65 and the transfer book 68 (see Figures 19 and 20). The auxiliary cam 51 for actuating the cylinder transfer needles consists of a lifting member and a companion lowering member 81, of which the latter is fixed on the inner face of the cam ring 40, (see Fig- .ures 8, 9 and 10)( The cam members 80 and 81 form between them a cam groove highest position (see'Figure 12) atiwhich point their loops are above the path of the dial needles 36 (which do not move forward until the particular cylinder transfer .82 for the passage of the butts 72 of the same as the usual cylinder needles 33.

needle has dropped down into the notch of the cam), then to slightly lower the same to said notch, in which position the loop is right in front of the dial needles which now begins to move forward as the cam operates to slightly raise the cylinder transfer needle permitting the dial needle to nose in to the loop as the latter is now raised to receive said dial needle, the cam now acting finally to move the cylinder transfer needle downward back to normal position, that is, into the path of the regular stitch cam 50 for the latter to raise and lower the cylinder transfer needles 34, the

reference to Figure 7 itwill be noticed that the auxiliary cam 51 with its lifting member in active position is farther from the axis of the needle cylinder 32 than the cam 50, and hence the shorter butts of the regular cylinder needles 33 are not engaged by the cam 51 but the latter engages the longer butts 72 of the cylinder transfer needles. It

is understood that in practice the lifting member 80 of the cam 51 is arrangedto lift the transfer needles 34 about one-half inch higher than the cam 50 lifts the cylinder needles 33 and the cylinder transfer needles 34.

The lifting member 80 of the auxiliary cam 51 is normally out of the path of the butts 72 of the cylinder transfer needles 34 and is periodically moved into the path of the said butts 72 to raise the cylinder 1" transfer needles until their transfer hooks 68 are in" operative position relative to the dial needles 36. In order to accomplish this result the following arrangement is made, special'reference being had to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. 8, 9 and 10: The cam member 80 is secured on the inner end of a rod 83 disposed radially and mounted to slide in a bearing 84 formed in the cam ring 40. (in the outer end of the rod 83 is secured a collar 85 by the use of a set' screw 86, and a spring 87 coiled on the rod 83 presses with one end against the inner face of the collar 85 while the other end of the said spring abuts against the outer face of the cam ring 40. By the arrangement described the spring87 normally holds the lifting member 80 within a recess 88 formed in the inner face of the cam ring 40, as plainly shown in Figure 10. On the top of the collar 85 is secured a pivot pin 90 engaged by one end of a lever 91 secured by a screw 92 to a bracket 93 fastened to the under side of a vertically disposed pivot 94 mounted to turn in a bracket 95 secured by a bolt 9601' other fastening means to the top of the cam ring 40. A collar 97 is secured to theupper end of a pivot pin 94 by a set screw 98, and this collar 97 rests on top of the bracket 95 to support the pivot pin 94 and thus hold the lever 91 in the desired horizontal plane. It

is understood that the pivot 94 forms the fulcrum for the lever 91.

The lever 91 is controlled by the lever mechanism employed for controlling the cam 50, and for this purpose the following arrangement is made: On the free end of the lever 91 and at the inner edge thereof is formed a cam 99 adapted to be engaged by a lug 100 secured by a screw 101 to a lever 102 fulcrinned at 103 on the top of the cam ring 40, and this lever 102 is engaged by a pin 101 rising from a bell crank lever 105 fulcrumed at 106 on the top of the cam ring 40. The lever 102 is adapted to engage at itsfree end a disk secured on the upper end of a rod 116 mounted to slide in a suitable bearing 117 attached to the bedplate 31. Vertical-movement is imparted by a suitable pattern chain mechanism 118 to the rod 116 to raise or lowerthe disk 115 into one of three positions, namely, uppermost, intermediate and lowermost position. When the disk'115 is in intermediate position it returns the lever 102, and when in lowermost position it extends into the path of .the free end of the bell crank lever 105 with a View to imparting a swinging motion thereto at the time the course of transfer stitches is to be made.

transmitted by the pin 104 to the lever 102 to swing the free end thereof outward and thus cause the lug 100 to act on the cam 99 of-t-he lever 91 thereby imparting a swinging movement thereto. The movement given to the lever 91 is transmitted to the pin 83 and consequently the lifting member 80 of the cam 51 is moved inward into operative position relative to the butts 72 on the cylinder transfer needles 34. When this course has been knitted then the disk 115 is raised out of the path of the bell crank lever 105 and moved into the path of the lever 102 and consequently the latter engages the disk 115 and thus receives a return swinging movement in an inward direct-ion whereby the lug 100 is moved away from the cam 99 of the lever 91 to allow the latter to return to normal position by the action of the spring 87 which latter also withdraws the lifting member 80 out of active position into normal dormant position within the recess 88 (see Figure 10). The levers 102 and 105 besides actuating the lever 91 are used for effecting the adjustment of the switch cam 50 of the cam ring 40, but this arrangement does not form part of my present invention and hence further description of this arrangement is not deemed necessary, it being understood that the lever 102 carries a set screw 120 adapted to engage a beveled block 121 held on the upper end of the vertically slidable stem 1220f the stitch cam of of cam ring 40. The disk 115 is also used for operating the levers 125, 126, controlling The swinging movement given to the bell crank lever 105 is Ill) the swinging cam 56 of the dial cam plate 41, that is, the lever 125 engages the disk 115 when in uppermost position to move the swinging cam 56 into one position, and when the disk 115 is in intermediate position it engages the lever 126 to return the swinging cam 56 to normal position. As this cam mechanism forms no part of my invention further description of the 'same is not deemed necessary.

The operation is as follows:

Normally the disk 115 is in intermediate position, and when the mach'in-x is running,

the cylinder needles 33, the cylind r transfer needles 34 and the dial needles 36 are actuated in the usual manner by the cams 50, 55 and 56, to knitthe ordinary courses of alternate cylinder needle stitches 130 and dial needle stitches 131 see Figure 18) until the transfer course 0 stitches is to be knitted. When this course is reached the pattern chain mechanism 118 lowers the disk 115 into the path of the bell crank lever 105 to actuate the same with a view to move the auxiliary cam 51 into the path of the butts 72 of the cylinder transfer needles 34. The latter are now successively raised to such an extent that their transfer hooks 68 move above the dial needles 36 with their loops above the path of said dial needles (see Figure 12). When a cylinder transfer needle 34 is at its highest or uppermost position, it takes the loop 130 above the path of its cooperating dial needle 36, which, as previously stated, does not move forward until after the cylinder transfer needle 34 in the continued rotation of the cam, next drops down into the notch of the cam, position mg the top of the loop of the needle in the path of the dial needle 36 which now moves out and engages the top of the loop with the bottom just under the end of the dial needle. As the dial needle engages the top of this loop, the cylinder transfer needle 1s raised by the cam just enough to allow the dial needle 36 to nose or slide under the top of the loop. The cylinder transfer needle is maintained for a short time in this second raised position by the cam (Fi re 12) to enable the dial needle to pass f iilly into the loop (Figure 19).' The cylinder transfer needle next descends and in doing so the upper member of its loop passes into the hook of the coacting dial needle and thus the cylinder needle loop is cast onto the dial needle in front of the latters own loop. During the downward movement of the cylinder transfer needle 34 the dial needle hook 68 and swings the same open (see Figme 21), at the same time that the yarn for the switch 130 passes under the free end of the open latch 62 to swing the latter shut (see Figure 22), and thus the yarn asses over the cylinder transfer needle wit the stitch 130 remaining cast ion the dial needle 36 together with the latters regular stitch 131. It is understood that each cylinder transfer needle is lifted ,--to its highest position, then slightly lowered while the dial needles are in withdrawn position, from which position the dial needles move outward toward the space encompassed by the right-hand side of the'stem of the cylinder transfer needle and the transfer hook when in under the top of the loop. E'acli dialneedle reaches its outermost position at the time its coacting cylinder transfer needle now begins its final descent, and the dial needle remains in this outer position until after its coacting cylinder transfer needle has reached its lowermost position, that is, has left the auxiliary cam 51.

When this stitch doublin course is completed the disk moves into intermediate position and hence into the path of the lever 102- whereby a return swinging movement is given to this lever 102 and the auxiliary cam 51 is returned into outermost dormant position relative to the butts 72 of the cylinder transfer needles 34. Thus the next course of stitches will be again regular stitches, and this operation is repeated until the next course of transfer stitches is to be knitted in the manner above described. It is understood that the distance between the two courses of transfer stitches corresponds approximately to the length of the leg of the stocking to be knit,.and the knitted tubular fabric is out along a line at each transfer course, as indicated in Figure 18. It is understood that in practice any desired number of cylinder transfer needles 34 are used according to the size of the stocking to be knit, and the cylinder transfer needles 34 can be readily substituted for corresponding cylinder needles 33. It is understood that in ase the needle cylinder is arranged for one hundred and forty cylinder needles 33 and it is desired to trans-* fer thirteen stitches then thirteen cylin der needles are removed and replaced by thirteen transfer needles 34 (see Figure 12).

It is understood also that more or less cylin- 36 engages the normally closed transfer.

der transfer needles may be used according to the Work in hand. It isfurther understood that the transferring of the cylinder needle stitches 130 onto the adjacent dial needle stitches 131 as described provides an open lace course of stitches which may be at any point in the length of the hose for ornamental purposes instead of for transfer to the quills of a transfer cylinder. If the open work is intended for ornamentation all the needles 33 are replaced by transfer needles 34 and thus the open work is extended all around the hose instead of a portion thereof as in the case when the open work is to be used for transferring the hose to the quills of a transfer cylinder.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a knitting machine, a cam ring having a recess, needles, and butts on the needles; in combination, a lifting cam, means including a rod radially slidable in the cam ring and carrying the lifting cam, a bracket fixed upon the cam ring, a bracket pivoted to the fixed bracket, a lever swingably mountedupon the pivoted bracket and having connection at one end with said rod,

- means including a spring acting upon the rod to normally retain the lifting cam in the recess, and means operable upon the opposite end of said lever swinging it to slide the rod and move the lifting cam out of the recessinto the path of the needle butts. 2. A knitting machine having a transfer needle, a transfer hook thereupon, a dial needle; in combination, a single cam shaped to actuate the transfer needle to first raise the transfer hook above the dial needle, then lower said hook in reference to the dial needle, then raise the hook a shorter distance than it was lowered to open a loop upon the transfer needle sufficiently to register the loop with said dial needle for the projection of the dial needle through the loop, finally lower said transfer needle depositing the loop thereof upon the dial needle. with the loop already thereon, and means to bodily displace said single cam for the discontinuation of the foregoin functions.

AUGUST S F. HARRIS. 

